Himanshu Jain

For Palestinians, life has been tough, especially past few years. Israeli occupation of their territory is a core issue and it is the reason why violence occurs and continues to ruin lives in the area.

However, in 2004, the International Court of Justice deemed that Israel must adhere to the Fourth Geneva Convention regulations regarding the rights of civilians in the area. It also pointed out that Israel had been in power since 40 years and this increased the onus of responsibility on them to protect the rights of civilians in occupied Palestine. However, Israel has consistently failed to uphold Geneva Convention regulations and innocent Palestinians have had to face the consequences.

Palestine’s Humanitarian Crisis

The pinch is felt particularly in Israel-occupied Palestinian territory. According to Dissidentvoice.org, civilians in the area are struggling with inequality, lack of education, unemployment, and harassment. Other issues affecting the Palestinian people in the area include the following:

Food –

Almost 80% of Gazans face food shortage. What is available is just basic. And a ready supply of fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat is rare. In fact, with the recent shelling in the Gaza area, most civilians are struggling to put at least one full meal on the table for their families.

Unemployment and poverty –

Due to constant shelling, local offices face serious problems. The occupation force also regularly closes roads, sets up checkpoints, and prevents civilian movement about the area. Border closures, winding checkpoints, and frequently delayed imports and experts have resulted in thousands of offices, shops, and companies shutting down. Construction in the area has also halted indefinitely. And farm output has decreased by as much as 50%. Almost 50% of Gazans live below the poverty line and the situation has worsened over the three-month continuous Israeli shelling.

Healthcare –

This is probably the most horrific violation of civil rights in the area. Israeli troops frequently shut down roads and set up checkpoints which result in drastically delayed medical movement about the city. Almost all of the key drugs are in short supply and seriously ill patients face terrible delays while travelling about the city. In fact, the WHO stated that these restrictions caused a higher-than-average number of deaths in the city.

Education –

Gazan children find it very difficult to attend school regularly. In addition, there are very few provisions for postgraduate education. Besides, students are prevents from going abroad for education. Apart from this, the frequent roadblocks and travel restrictions prevent students from attending school regularly.

Fuel and electricity shortages are common. And it adds to the travel problem.

Palestine and its citizens are struggling to make a life. And what Israel is doing constitutes serious civil rights violations. An equitable agreement is required between the two countries and this is only possible if both countries sit down and reach an agreement.

With over 60 years of conflict, Israel has seriously damaged civilian rights and inflicted serious harm and suffering on the Palestinian people. Unless a settlement is reached, tensions will remain constant between both countries.